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Fun fact: To date, we have not accessioned any Rip Payne images coming from March 14th!

Sooo, I’m going topical on you today.

Today, we are going to travel back with Rip Payne to his coverage of the Lane High School vs. Washington-Lee High School basketball game in 1945. Lane High School, as you may know, was the exclusively white school in Charlottesville (J.P. Burley being the African American high school), until court-ordered integration in 1959. The school eventually became too small to accommodate a growing student body, and in 1974, was replaced by Charlottesville High School. In 1981, the building became the home for the Albemarle County Offices, and it has retained since retained that purpose.

Lane High School, from what I can gather, was not particularly well-known for their basketball team. This undated Rip Payne photo may shed some light on the situation:

Now, to his credit, I would not want to enter a brawl with number 44… or the coach, for that matter. And I’m sure with my skills, they would all beat me in a game of Horse (DAWG?!?). Nonetheless, the day Rip Payne showed up in 1945 (judging by clothing, much earlier than this team photo), things weren’t looking much better. There appears to be a fair amount of slapping and body flailing, and just general messiness. I will say, that judging from these photos alone, Lane looks better than Washington-Lee… Check it out for yourself!

Today in 1946, our beloved Rip Payne went over to Lane High School (which currently serves as the Albemarle County Office Building), for a Lion’s Club reunion. And can I just say– those Lion’s Clubbers sure do know how to throw a reunion party! We’re talking full-scale pageantry here: giant umbrella dancing, lady drummers, a dance line, and a choir of men wearing as many different types of tuxes as I imagine they had singing octaves.